Cessna 152 N6449P

Summary

On 24 February 2016 at about 21:15 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N6449P was involved in an accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 February 2016 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

North Perry (HWO)

Coordinates

26.0072, -80.2372

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N6449P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hollywood → Hollywood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA111

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power while on approach for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The engine's valves were adjusted the week before the flight to remedy engine performance issues that would typically begin between 10 and 45 minutes in flight. The private pilot performed a full preflight check with no anomalies noted. He then departed, orbited the airport for about 45 minutes, and continued flying over the airport. No engine issues were noted until about 1 hour 5 minutes after takeoff, when the engine began to run roughly. The pilot entered the traffic pattern, but, while operating with the mixture control full rich and the engine at 2,250 rpm with normal oil temperature and pressure, the engine went to idle and did not respond to throttle input. Unable to reach the intended runway, the pilot initiated a descent for a forced landing to a road but, while descending, collided with a utility pole and then impacted the ground hard. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although a blockage of the left fuel vent line was noted several months after the accident, the airplane was equipped with vented fuel caps, which would have mitigated the issue had it existed at the time of the accident. In addition, although the magnetos were improperly timed, this would have been detectable by the pilot before takeoff and likely did not contribute to the reported loss of engine power. Further, although the weather conditions were favorable for the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide power, the pilot was not operating in that regime when the loss of engine power occurred. Therefore, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.